Rhythm of Love
by Tiny.Fishy
Summary: Broke student Suzuki Kyoko moves in with older  womanizing  man Deidara as his housekeeper. A few kisses here, some drunken dancing there and soon we have two very mad people. What happens next? AU, rated T for a few adult scenes.
1. The Show

As a college freshman with a fixed budget who was only able to attend college with a scholarship and financial aid, it was difficult for Suzuki Kyoko to find housing. Fortunately, she had found a helpless junior that needed something akin to a maid. This young man had been willing to lend her a room in exchange for her cooking and cleaning skills. Somewhat of an unfair trade, but Kyoko was desperate. Deidara had been equally desperate.

However, there were downsides to living with an older man.

Ahem. For example …

Being the social butterfly that he was, Deidara had oh so many friends all across campus. Two weekends a month, the blonde held an extreme, floor-shaking, house-wrecking party. The deal was that during the party, Kyoko had to stay locked in her room and attempt to study, maybe play Stepmania. Another bit of the deal was that after the party, Kyoko had to clean up. All of it. All of the plastic cups, the vomit, the pizza stuck to the walls, the misplaced cutlery, the brunette bimbo passed out in the bathroom who wore barf in her hair…

Sometimes, she thought it would be a lot better to live on the streets.

But whenever Kyoko thought about the hardships that came with living on the streets, she focused on the advantages to living with Deidara. They were much more fun to think about.

Ahem. Once again…

Despite his incompetent demeanor, Deidara was smart and hard-working, almost always available when Kyoko needed help with homework. More than often, the girl found herself with the highest score in the class. It was pretty awesome.

Whenever Kyoko needed a haircut, Deidara voluntarily made sure she not spend money at the local beauty salon for a crappy, $35 haircut when _he_ could just style her hair for nothing more than laundry duty. He was surprisingly talented with scissors, a comb and a curling iron. It was … really scary. At the moment, she had short, choppy, inky locks. Glorious, gorgeous, and luxurious.

Unknown fact: most of the tableware, flower vases and pots in their shared apartment were made by Deidara. According to Kyoko's art teacher, the works of art could've won numerous awards, but the potter kept them in his home anyway. He had even made a custom ice cream bowl at Kyoko's request. It always held exactly one scoop.

Kyoko loved cooking. She loved experimenting and every meal she made came out delicious because, well … she was just that good. Deidara hadn't appreciated her wonderful cooking until he had invited his friends over. They had profusely complimented the delicious food. Her roommate had scoffed until some redhead with a baby face Kyoko had assumed to be Deidara's boyfriend – Sasori – kicked the blonde's ass. After that, he always thanked her.

She really appreciated living with him. In actuality, she appreciated him.

Kyoko liked to think he felt the same.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so this was originally going to be a one-shot, but I felt that I should do something a bit different. And now! I'm uploading ALL the chapters ALL at once. ^^ woo. <strong>

**Have fun with this. ~**


	2. Heregoesnothing

A school year passed.

During summer vacation, Deidara came home to a little surprise. Here he was, expecting to come home to creamy, hot fudge, cherry-on-top ice cream sundaes like Kyoko had promised over the phone. Instead, he came home to this underwear clad college girl with a soft, nubile body just sleeping on the couch.

Wait, actually, that was better than ice cream.

He set down his books and kicked off his shoes, stealing a tub of extra chocolatey chip cookie dough from the freezer – Kyoko's favorite. She would blow up at him for sure. Deidara flipped on the television and took a seat on the loveseat, right next to his roommate's bare feet. They were so cute, with her little toes and little scars and – whoa.

Scars? He took one of her dainty feet into his lap and turned them and pored over them. Circular, shiny skin made up patches on the instep of her foot and it confused him. Then he recalled that she did martial arts and scoffed. Why did he care? But he kept Kyoko's foot on his thigh nonetheless.

Then Deidara _really_ looked at Kyoko. A girl's choice of underwear said a lot about her. A little trick he had learned as campus resident playboy. Her bra was a plain white tube-top and on her tush were thin boy-shorts. They looked really familiar, almost like his …

Damn it! She stole his black boxers. That's where they went.

Sometimes, Kyoko looked sexy. But … he just couldn't think of her in that way. What with her being a sophomore and him being a senior and all, plus she was his roommate and he was older with a _reputation_ that preceded him and damn it, she just looked so delectable. No other woman had affected him so deeply before.

He was going to do something about this.

Later that evening, while Kyoko was playing WoW and screaming at her computer screen at some bastard who had apparently murdered her, Deidara knocked on her open door. With cheeks tinted pink, she looked over her shoulder to find her roommate all dressed up and looking moderately attractive. Just like the playboy he was.

"So, Kyoko, instead of spending your three month summer in your room, in front of your computer screen, slowly becoming paler and paler till you reach Vampiric-levels of white-ness – minus the sparkles, wouldn't you rather get out there and hit the club with this hunk right here?"

She stared.

"Umm … that sounded a lot better in my head."

"I bet it did." She closed her laptop and stood up. "So should I dress up?"

Deidara nervously babbled and left the room in a huff. In Deidara's language, "yes."

After ten minutes of Deidara's constant whining and complaints, the girl walked out of her room, in some black jean capris Deidara had never seen before and a baby blue halter top that would've never stayed put if she didn't have that gorgeous, B-cup rack. Jeez, she shouldn't be allowed to leave the house in that, there were way too many lechers that would have their hands all over Kyoko's sweet, sweet body… Ahem!

Her hair was all styled and more luxurious than its normal state and made her look feminine and beautiful. Well, she was constantly beautiful; it was just that Deidara had taken the time to notice in this instance.

"Stop staring, you creep," she giggled.

"What did you do to your hair? You look like _Scrubs'_ Season 3 Elliot but brunette," he said as he took her by the arm and steered her out the door.

"I know. I can't see out of my right eye." Deidara leaned in so close to her face till Kyoko's eyes widened to dinner plates and a pretty pink tinged her cheeks. He clipped her hair to the side till it looked like a Korean pop star or a manga's typical feminine boy or Fujioka Haruhi. The clip miraculously stayed in place.

"Better?"

"Y-yeah." Then she paused. "You watch _Scrubs_? I've always pegged you as the _Grey's Anatomy_ kind of guy." He shrugged and mumbled and took her arm and tossed her in the car. He only watched _Scrubs_ when Kyoko fell asleep on the couch. Deidara had always found Elliot kind of attractive. Kind of psycho, but attractive. And everyone knew that _Grey's Anatomy_'s a parody of the _Scrubs'_ characters lives, except way more serious*.

They sat in awkward, eye-rolling, finger drumming silence for ten minutes until Kyoko had a coughing fit. She saw the blue of his eye flicker in her direction from beneath his blonde bangs. Deidara looked so coy that way. In a creepy sort of manner.

"So. Umm. My mom hooked up with this young, twenty-something-year-old gigolo who is _obviously_ out to spend all of her money. And. Umm. While she ignores my rational advice and they honeymoon in Cancun for maybe two months of disgusting debauchery, she's sending my little sister over to live with me."

"Ooh!" Deidara waggled his eyebrows. The first part of the sentence had been white noise to him. "So what does she look like? Her interests? How old is she?"

"Well, she's got these cute, full cheeks and short, thin black hair. Her interests include dressing dolls and eating chocolate." Deidara whistled.

Kyoko just chuckled. "Oh, and try again in fourteen years, you Pedobear. Emiko's four."

"Oh, holy shit. Okay then." He coughed in embarrassment, his ears slightly pink, while the girl laughed hysterically. "So we'll have a four year old with us for like … two months. Okay then. Like a real family, hmm? Th-That's really young for a sister. Wow. Um … wow."

Awkward silence filled the car once more.

"Oh wait, we're here!" Deidara sped into the first available parking spot, cutting off a cherry Ferrari. The driver cursed and flipped the two off, sending them deep into the shits and giggles. The awkward moment from minutes before was totally forgotten. They stomped out of the car and bribed the bouncer to let them into the club.

Bright, multicolored lights flashed in Deidara's and Kyoko's faces, obscuring their vision. The stepped in time with the thumping bass, ready to take on the world.

* * *

><p><strong>*Scrubs: My Buddy's Booty<strong>

**Elliot: J.D. can't we just go home, put on our pjs and watch Grey's Anatomy?**

**J.D.: Oh, how I do love that show. It's like they've been watching our lives and put it on TV.**

* * *

><p><strong>Ohh, that club scene. It's been so overused, and I'm nothing more than a cliché-user. <strong>

**Hmm…. I make many illusions to other manga and shows and … other things. Yep yep yep. If you don't know about the hair that I'm talking about, you can just look up Haruhi Fujioka hair on Google Images. You'll find it. FIND IT. **


	3. Everytime We Touch

"Dei! Deidara~!" Kyoko was looking marvelously drunk. Her cheeks, the bridge of her nose were all a tomato red. The clip had slipped out of her hair, sending it into a wild, tangled mess that owls would choose as a nest. Her top was slipping precariously low.

It was downright adorable.

Well, maybe except for the smug son-of-a-bitch attached to her neck at his lips. The blonde gripped his beer bottle so hard his knuckles bleached white. Deidara should've known that she wouldn't be able to hold her alcohol.

"Deidara! Lookie who I found?" The boy glanced up in acknowledgement then resumed marking Kyoko's creamy neck with one blotchy hickey … gah! "Aha! 'S Hideki! From history class! Y'know what! I think I love him~" Hideki smirked at her declaration and wrapped his arms around Kyoko's thin waist, pulling her flush against him. Squealing, Kyoko wiggled her hips against him. It was clear by now that she had no idea what the hell she was doing. Though, Hideki's crotch did.

"Hey, hey, Vampire … Leech … Boy, let's switch places for a bit, shall we?" Deidara grasped the boy's arm in a vice-grip and yanked him off of Kyoko at the speed of a bullet train. Hideki landed amongst the groupies Deidara had amassed and the girls greeted him eagerly, bumping and grinding against him. The ass hadn't even realized that Kyoko was gone. He just kept sucking neck.

"Aww, Deidara!" whined Kyoko. "That waz Hideki! He's a shplendid opornity!"

"That's 'opportunity,' sweetie and did you just say 'porn?'"

"Deidara! Did you call me 'sweeeetie'?" she squeaked. Or maybe it was a hiccup. "Aha! I like it! I… like it!" She rested her head on his shoulder, twisting her fingers in his long blonde hair. Dediara placed his hands on her hips, swaying her in time with the music.

"Nice to hear, sweets." Her pink, pouting lips were mere inches away from his. Her breath smelled of booze. Then again, it could've just been his own. He'd been drinking enough to kill a baby. Wait, that didn't come out right … Yeah! He was totally drunk. Deidara tossed away all inhibitions and pressed himself closer to Kyoko, inhaling her arousing, feminine scent. The curves of her breasts squeezed against his chest. His fingers danced over her hips and her thighs.

For some reason he just couldn't think of right now, this wasn't going to end well.

A new song came on and they grinded against each other, suddenly more animal than human. The heat rolled off of all the bodies in the small space. A light sheen of sweat covered their skin and their scents lingered in the air like a heady perfume. If not for the clothes on their body, they'd practically be having rough, hot sex right there on the dance floor.

"Let's get out of here," Deidara growled. He ran his tongue down the shell of her ear, holding Kyoko close as she shivered. The girl stared into Deidara's visible eye, lust clouded in her gaze. A quirky grin graced her features and she jumped into his arms, wrapping her slender legs around his hips. They managed to make it out of the club in one piece, or rather, two people melded into one and into the car.

"You're gonna crash, Deidara!" Kyoko gasped in drunk shock. She dropped her head onto his lap, nuzzling against his upper thigh.

Deidara grunted and shifted so the girl on him wouldn't feel his raging hard on. That would lead to either giggling or disgust.

"If you keep doing that, I _will_ crash, Kyoko." It had meant to come out aggressive, but his voice squeaked, his willpower cracking under Kyoko's assault. Somehow, as if it were a miracle, they made it home, safe in the garage. Yes, the trash bin had been flattened, but Deidara and Kyoko were alive nonetheless.

"Oh! Deidara! We made it!" the girl sighed. She peppered kisses all over his jaw and neck, but never his lips. The man leaned into her treatment, realizing that her lips were soft like … like those soft things in the cereals! Ooh! Marshmallows. They were sugary, fluffy marshmallows… And her legs were the cloud pillows. And her hands were hands of angels.

Damn. He was fucking smashed.

After the right sides of his face and neck were absolutely slathered in Kyoko's saliva, he (accidentally) pulled on the car door handle and stumbled out, face-planting into the driveway. In shock, Kyoko fell all over herself, blasting the horn. Her legs flipped over her head and she landed on Deidara's back, laughing hysterically. He was so soft! Her cushion, her mattress.

"All right! Oh, Kyoko…" The blonde picked Kyoko up bridal style and swept her into the house. Kyoko giggled, throwing her arms around his neck. This was rapidly spiraling into the best night of her life. Although, she'd probably regret it in the morning though. If she could remember anything.

Kyoko and Deidara's night of debauchery hadn't even made it to the bedroom.

* * *

><p><strong>OHO. Ohohoho. Something develops. Start of something terrible (or horrendously wonderful) developing~? [Insert goatee rub here … except, just pretend that the goatee is imaginary. I don't have one. That'd just be weird]<strong>


	4. I Don't Wanna Be In Love

"O-ohh…" The room was spinning and the floor had replaced the ceiling. There was a tingling feeling in the back of Kyoko's throat and she gagged. Kyoko untangled herself from the nest of limbs and clothes and Deidara's hair and sofa cushions. A blazing trail of flames followed her as she bolted to the bathroom. As she heaved up booze and cheap peanuts into the toilet bowl while thanking Deidara for cutting her hair short, memories from the night before suddenly flashed in her brain.

Immediately, that disgusting taste filled Kyoko's mouth again. She curled over the toilet and hurled. Oh jeez…

"Kyoko?" Deidara was up. Even with long blonde hair all awry and smudged eye-liner (lolwut?), he still looked hot. Well, he'd awoken through many hangovers with many other beautiful women so of course he'd be able to manage himself… Damn it!

Damn it! She wouldn't be another one of those one-night stand girls! Especially when she lived with him! She had seen them morning after morning, waking up dazed and confused in the nest of Deidara's bed, some crying, some indignant, but all tossed away by the man they had given themselves to, as if they were beneath his acknowledgement. Kyoko had helped many of them on multiple occasions. She even had different sizes of clothes all hidden away in her closet in preparation for those girls.

The one thing that Kyoko knew about each and every one of those girls was that they would chase after Deidara for a week or so, wondering why he had just left them high and dry on the side of the road. After that, however, they would accept that it had been a one-time deal and moved on with their lives.

But she couldn't just pussy out and "move on." She lived there! Swallowing bile and pride, Kyoko walked into her room and slammed the door behind her. She hoped she made her point.

Deidara shimmied into his boxers and threw aside the cushions and blankets. As soon as his feet hit the floor and he was standing upright, a touch of vertigo hit him. It was as if he'd been hit in the head with a brick. He'd felt it before; he knew. What it was like to be hit in the head with a break, he meant. It had not been a good time.

Slowly, Deidara made his way to the kitchen. An icepack filled with orange-juice-ice was pressed to his throbbing forehead. He groaned in relief. When he could finally open his eyes, he saw Kyoko strolling out of her room, looking somewhat presentable. She had donned a hat and sunglasses, hiding her puffy, red eyes and her tangled hair.

"Where you going?" he garbled.

"My sister," she mumbled back.

"You need a ride?" Kyoko just ignored him after that. Deidara had no idea how she would get Emiko without a car. The train station was miles away and hell, Kyoko's bike didn't have a sidecar. Wait or was it the airport? Made sense if Kyoko's mom was going to Cancun. There was no train that ran underwater. But if there were … that'd be awesome! But didn't they have hotels underwater now? Somewhere off in Japan or Israel or somewhere like that. Speaking of Japan … he was swerving off topic.

Deidara laid on the couch, listening to the TV – its volume level was just a smidge above mute. He had no idea what shows he was watching, if it was Cable television or Netflix but he absolutely certain he had heard Kelso saying, "Burn!" and Shawn Spencer spazzing and squealing.

All of the episodes he had watched managed to meld into one strange dream that went something along the lines of this: Fez was going to be deported if Shawn and Gus couldn't convince Lassiter that Red was not murdered and instead died after sticking his foot up someone's ass. Kelso and Jules had sweet, sweet hot sex while Laurie convinced Jules that Red was not murdered. Somewhere in there included Jackie Burkhart making out with Luke Skywalker's mother.

Oops that was Black Swan! Good stuff, good stuff.

Wait.

What the fuck?

He had cursed for two reasons.

One: his brain had just thought up the most indecent, strange dream.

Two: when he kicked, not only had he stubbed his pinky toe (the most painful of all experiences), but his head throbbed like mad. It was as if it was being pressed and pushed and pulled from all sides. Undique. Was that Latin…? Deidara felt as if his head had just served as a piñata at a child's birthday party and all the party-goers played in the Little League.

* * *

><p><strong>Don't you think it's interesting how quickly Kyoko get's so irritated with Deidei-chan? Or maybe her anger is justified. O.O<strong>


	5. Must Have Done Something Right

"I'm home!" Deidara sat up slowly, ignoring the agonizing throbbing in his head to see and hear the front door open. There was Kyoko, smiling cheerily as if she had never been hung-over in the first place, clutching a large, white and pink Hello Kitty suitcase. Behind Kyoko was a tiny, trembling girl that looked like Kyoko's own child rather than her little sister. The girl's eyes shone in trepidation and her lower lip extended out in a pout.

Kyoko set the luggage down and crouched down beside the girl, stroking her hair softly. "Emiko, that's Deidara. He's like uncle, okay?" Emiko's nodded, but her eyes still shone with almost-tears. Sighing, the older girl steered Emiko to the couch where they sat besides Deidara. The young girl was so tense, with her shoulders all stiff and her hands cupped over her knees.

Emiko wrinkled her nose and whispered in Kyoko's ear.

"What?" Deidara was slightly peeved. He didn't know if it was because of the small kid sitting in the middle of his almost-perfect bachelor pad or the face that his head was pounding. Maybe it was a combination of the two. Anyhow, he was still annoyed.

"She says you smell weird." Huffing, Deidara leaped up and shuffled to the bathroom. Well, if the kid said he stunk, then he stunk. What was that saying? First impressions last forever.

"He's funny!" At least she was more relaxed now. Pssh. Whatever.

"Yes, yes he is."

There was no way Deidara could get used to this.

* * *

><p>A week later, Deidara was completely and entirely accustomed to having Emiko in the house. It was quite simple really. The trick was to watch and see.<p>

Emiko slept and awoke at the strangest hours. She could sleep at ten on movie night and still wake up at six in the mornings, bouncing around on Kyoko's bed. If Deidara forgot to close his door the night before, then he would be treated to a thirty-something pound blob of **child** stepping on his feet and legs, absolutely destroying his nerve endings. He had learned – the hard way – not to bring any more girls over.

Emiko's reactions to those girls were humorous. At least to Kyoko. The young girl would grasp Kyoko's arm tightly, like a life raft or something else that saves a person's life, and scowl at the women as if they were murderers or had stolen Emiko's ice cream. Evil glares from four year olds were the least threatening thing ever. And this was the night before. The morning after, Emiko would wake Deidara and his new conquest in her special child's way.

Jeez, it had really ruined Deidara's reputation for a while. Initially, he had been furious with Emiko, but when she caught sight of his red, ticking-time-bomb expression, the girl had burst into tears and wailed. For some reason, Deidara felt extremely guilty and couldn't shake it off. For some reason, it's difficult to be mad with a little kid.

Little kids have strange logic. Around lunch time, when stomachs growl and everything starts to look edible, Kyoko asks Emiko if she wants to eat. Emiko pouts and shakes her head and roots herself even more deeply to the carpet, eyes fixated intently on the television. Then when Kyoko walks to the kitchen and fixes herself some Lean Cuisine, her sister cries and begs for food while Kyoko playfully denies Emiko even the tiniest bite because she had said, "no" earlier.

Weird stuff.

Deidara liked having Emiko around. She was an interesting artist and companion. She favored Playdoh over Barbie dolls and that was something Deidara could respect. All of Emiko's Playdoh creations were scattered everywhere around the house, creations of purple and orange and red and blue and every color in-between, in various abstract and realistic shapes. Her favorite shape at the moment was a bird.

Once, Deidara had taken her to the ceramics area on campus and she had so much fun making pinch pots. Just like her sister, she worked hard and attempted to perfect everything she did. Emiko's little asymmetrical bowls were unbelievably smooth for a four year old. True, she was the size of a two year old, but … that didn't really matter… Her painting, on the other hand, was exactly as one would expect from a four year old.

Sasori and Itachi barged into Deidara's house one day. Frozen in shock, they witnessed Deidara curled up on the couch next to Emiko, watching a Disney movie. He was clutching a pillow and sobbing, stuffing popcorn into his open mouth. Emiko seemed unaffected by the drama unfolding on the screen and the hilarity unfolding right before her. She was instead twisting Deidara's long blonde locks into numerous braids.

Finally Deidara realized that the two guys were there and stared at them, mouth agape, **both** eyes wide as if they were floating up in the air or had grown elephants' trunks in the night.

"Shut up! General Shang just ditched Mulan out in the snow! He's such a dick!"

The two men continued to stare. Deidara's eyes wandered back to the screen. "After all she did for him, too!"

"She's the first one to get the arrow!" Emiko exclaimed. Deidara nodded. Kyoko stepped out from the kitchen, holding two bowls of ice cream. She grinned at Sasori and Itachi and said, "You want to watch? You're just in time for the ending. It'll be awesome."

Both noted how when Kyoko plopped down on the couch, Deidara shifted closer to her. How he had opened up his posture to her, how he subtly creeped one arm over to rest on the back of the sofa, conveniently lying behind her. It was scary to imagine the idea of Deidara – the playboy and possibly the hottest guy on campus – had turned into a family man. Whoa. That's shudder inducing.

They left without a word.

* * *

><p><strong>I really like Emiko. She kind of reminds me of my little cousin. Oh! Oh! Mulan! Ahaha~<strong>


	6. Paint Me Envy

The semester crawled back into Deidara and Kyoko's lives like a Muk with an increased Speed stat. Creeping and oozing just a smidge faster than usual.

Emiko had been living with them for two, slightly fun-filled weeks. The first week had been awesome: ice cream, movies, Fun Factory, pet shopping (to which Deidara vehemently denied, but was dragged along anyway), park walks, sushi restaurants, the pool. The second week, on the other hand, was filled with study sessions and time spent behind locked doors. But without sex. Emiko had to find alternate methods of amusement. Like making a wreck out of the living room carpet with her EZ-Bake Oven. Or sneaking in a kitten. Jeez, that bit had been a disaster.

When school started, Deidara and Kyoko resumed their relationship of roommates, as if the last two weeks with Emiko had never existed and the small child was entirely Kyoko's responsibility now. It pained Kyoko to see Emiko look up at Deidara with puppy-dog eyes as he walked out the front door. He was trying his best to ignore her and it seemed to be working.

Figuratively, Deidara had left the two out in the snow to fend for themselves while he lived his own glorious life.

Deidara had detached himself from the two. So Kyoko had done the same with him.

She'd met someone.

Kyoko had known that Satoshi liked her ever since that first day together in Psych 101, and that one day he would make a move. So the year consisted of waiting and really creepy stares. Then on the first day of Psych 201, when Satoshi was inevitably seated next to her, he asked her out.

He was of the nerd mold, those who actually enjoyed studying and got a kick out of doing homework. Aced every test and pop quiz (Ibiki gave those to his students because he was one sadistic sonovabitch). Satoshi was one who had potential **and** applied himself, while Kyoko had the latter but not very much of the former. In a way, Kyoko could respect Satoshi.

Satoshi had to be a Seven. On the hotness scale from One to "JHBN" (Jump His Bones Now), Satoshi was a Seven. He was tall and lean, but his limbs were lanky and too long, so they dangled awkwardly. His thick rimmed glasses were too big for him, so he had to constantly push them up the bridge of his nose. He was blessed by the gods with the gift of amazing hair – deep shade of black that seemed to give off a little luster. It hung around his face in layered locks. With his too-full cheeks and untrimmed haircut, he looked feminine.

Satoshi was the sort of person that, when looking at all of his physical traits individually, they're almost perfect, but when mashed all together, it just doesn't seem to fit.

Satoshi was the passive type. The type that, instead of facing problems and conflicts head-on, tended to swerve to avoid the crash.

He was polite, too, in an old-fashioned manner that was sweet and cliché. Tentative hand-holding. Permission before kisses. Awkward hugs. Kyoko rather enjoyed the respect and empowerment, but she needed something else. In the two weeks that they had been straddling the line between "really really good friends" and "boyfriend and girlfriend," Kyoko felt slightly empty. No, that wasn't the right word… Perhaps… "Bored." That was it.

That wasn't good. Two weeks and BAM, boredom? Not good. Not good at all.

Unlike her almost-boyfriend, Kyoko would face this problem head-on. She'd crash, too. That, she was certain. But maybe she'd make it out alive.

"Satoshi?" The boy looked up from his bento from beneath his lens. He looked so adorable, Kyoko had to giggle. "Wanna go on a study date tonight?" Study date on a Friday night. Whoopee. Satoshi's ears turned bright red. Another cute thing about him. He looked at her, blinking fast, mouth opening and closing. The only sound to escape through his lips was a strangled squeak.

Kyoko didn't know why it had affected him so much. They'd gone on study dates before (that were **actual** study dates!). Maybe it was the word, "tonight" and the very idea of them being alone together under the cover of nighttime and the stars that had gone and made him so flustered.

"S-sure! Where did you have in mind?" Oho. Not Kyoko's place. Emiko would get all … well, the way she gets with Deidara's women. And … well, she didn't even want to think about Deidara's reaction at the moment, thank you very much. If he would even have one.

"Your place?" Satoshi nodded vigorously. All right.

That night, Kyoko told Deidara and Emiko about her study plans. They had no idea that the studying would be more like debauchery (if everything turned out okay) and that her study partner was a **boy**. She'd left that out for Emiko's sake. At least, that's what Kyoko told herself over and over.

She stood in front of her closet wrapped in a towel. Ten minutes to change was not a long time. Sure, she had time to dry her hair, but that was Finally, she settled with a V-neck and khaki capris. Good enough. Innocent enough.

Deidara was in his room … "entertaining" when Kyoko left. Emiko was tucked into bed, maybe sleeping, but possibly looking at picture books under the covers. Like a ninja, Kyoko snuck away. She still didn't know why she had to hide this…

Thirty minutes of studying had gotten pretty entertaining. Satoshi - having dabbled in the arts of Theatre for a bit - acted out different sorts of mental illnesses as a review game. It was freakin hilarious. Kyoko couldn't stop laughing. Especially during the OCD parts. Politically incorrect, but still humorous.

The laughter slowly died down, leaving behind nothing more than a whisper. Still smiling, Kyoko and Satoshi locked eyes. They moved towards each other, slowly, as if magnetically attracted and their cold lips met.

Kissing soon turned to fondling, which soon morphed into handsy groping and somehow, the two ended up on the bed.

The Psych book remained on the desk, its open pages witnessing something rather strange.

* * *

><p><strong>Umm … she moves on quite quickly. Jeez. I hate my characters sometimes. <strong>

**And AHAHAHA! POKEMON REFERENCE. **


	7. My Own Worst Enemy

That morning, Kyoko discovered that Satoshi was the spooning type. When she woke up, she looked around momentarily, trying to figure out where in the hell she was. Then, as the room stopped spinning, Kyoko discovered that she had nothing on but her underwear and some very warm body was curled up behind her. What happened last night? She had been too adrenaline-high to remember much.

She shimmied out of Satoshi's embrace and leaped into her clothes. She scrambled for a pen and a piece of paper.

"_Satoshi, thanks for everything. I don't think this is going to work though. I had a lot of fun with you though. And I don't just mean the sex (though that was great, too). I don't know why this is going to work out, but I can use a movie cliché. So, Satoshi. I love you, but I can't be in love with you. –Kyoko." _

She hadn't even thought about the words on the page as they flew from the pen. She had simply written them. Maybe she had been able to write it so quickly because she had been thinking it all this time. But Kyoko didn't want to dwell on that.

As she drove four blocks over, the sun started to peek through the high rise buildings, spilling its rays on the ground below. Crap. Emiko would be awake soon. If she wasn't already. Kyoko tried to pull into the garage as quietly as possible, but damn her luck, the asphalt crunched under the car and the turning tires screeched. The unlocking of the lock couldn't have been any louder.

As she padded through the living room like a mouse (because when you think about it, mice aren't always quiet), a door opened. Kyoko froze.

Deidara stared at her with an unfamiliar gaze. No, it was anger, merely well veiled by the cold, steely look in his eyes.

"Who were you with?"

"I could ask the same to you," Kyoko spat. She'd gone on the defensive. Deidara's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"That's none of your business, un!" Uh-oh. His verbal tick came out. "Who were you with?"

"Why does it matter?" Kyoko shouted. She drew up anger from each fingertip and toe and infused it with her voice. The man in front of her was slightly taken aback, but no, he couldn't shrink away. He'd issued a challenge. So his lips pursed and his face reddened.

"Not once have I **ever** questioned your – your whores! The fact that you parade women through those doors night after night **rarely** bothers me! I never ask you who it was this time or how it was or if she comes running after you later on! We don't even talk about it! Never!"

Her glow from the previous night was slowly disappearing.

"But the first time – the firsttime – I ever come back from a fucking **amazing** time, you give me the third degree! You're like the Spanish Inquisition! I bet you were just waiting for me to come home so you could give me HELL about it! Why are you even mad about this? Why? Hmm? Answer me, damn it!"

He sputtered. His heart ached in his chest and his fingers trembled. It could've been from anger or pain or shock, but any way, they trembled.

Kyoko stomped into her room, screaming, "I hope you get an STD, you man whore!"

"Dei-dei?" He blinked away tears of fury (at least, that's what he hoped they were) to see Emiko, standing in the doorway of her room. Her bottom lip stuck out and quivered and she looked like she was going to suddenly burst into tears at any moment. This wasn't the "little kid crying to get what she wants" but the sincere "I'm so overcome by sadness and I will express it through tears."

"Go back to sleep, darling," he whispered, standing motionlessly. Damn. She must've heard all of that. Maybe she hadn't understood most of it, but she had gotten the gist that Deidara and Kyoko had a fight. He knew what that felt like, to watch parents fight. Even though Deidara and Kyoko were in no way married or Emiko's parents. But … they sort of were. And that counted for something.

* * *

><p><strong>Now established: Satoshi's a rebound guy.<strong>

**Kyoko's defensive and Deidara's jealous. Oh my!**


	8. Everything I Ask For

Thoughtlessly, he wandered back to his room. The red-haired girl was sitting there, cocooned in his blankets. She had on her thick rimmed glasses.

"What was that all about? I didn't know you lived with someone," she said. Now that he really thought about it, she had an annoying voice. A high, whiny voice that could shatter a man's eardrums. She wasn't the prettiest either, but since when had that mattered to Deidara? Well, apparently, NOW.

"Karin, I think you need to leave, un." She obliged, strolling around the room with the blanket, picking up bits and pieces of her outfit. Who exposes midriff nowadays anyway? Well, other than that really pale guy from Deidara's Art History class, but he was just a weirdo. Oh, jeez, and her boots. Those were stripper boots, honey.

As he ushered her to the front door, Deidara realized that Emiko hadn't gone back to bed. She was sitting on the couch, coloring in a book. Her eyes were red and her cheeks wet.

"And you have a kid, too? What the fuck," Karin commented. Deidara stepped back as she waltzed out the door. Damn it. Karin was a gossiper and so, she would be buzzing this news all around campus and by tomorrow morning, everyone would know. Damn it.

Actually … That didn't seem so bad.

"Why were you and Kyo fighting?" Deidara shuffled over to the couch and sank into it. He didn't really want to talk about it. That would mean thinking about it. Which he didn't want to do either.

"How about I get you some cereal?" Emiko kind of shrugged, but Deidara knew that meant that she really wanted cereal. So he poured her a bowl of Lucky Charms in one of those pinch pots she'd made. He had grabbed it instinctively. It was her bowl.

But his heart sank when he saw the picture stenciled on: Deidara, Emiko and Kyoko in front of a red house with a smiling sun in the background. Happier times.

Emiko cheerfully picked at her cereal, tossing all of the grainy bits onto the carpet, leaving behind the colorful assortment of marshmallows.

"Why do you do that?" Deidara sighed as he carefully scooped up cereal from the carpet, knowing the next day, they might have roaches.

"The other ones aren't good enough." Simple answer from a four-year old. That was to be expected. However, it made some sort of sense. In life, you only want what's best. (Some may argue, however, that marshmallows aren't best. On the other hand, they taste great, so that argument has now been rendered invalid).

"Well, you can't just have sugar for breakfast." Deidara was making his way over to the kitchen now, trying to think of something he could microwave so he could avoid using the frying pan. That frying pan just seemed to hate him for some reason. It always burned his creations.

"Yes, I can!" Her smile wasn't too convincing.

"Here, have a Poptart." Damn it. That was all sugar, too.

"You should say sorry," Emiko said suddenly. Deidara froze. What was that? "Kyo says that when two people fight, one person has to say sorry. And it was your fault, so you should say sorry." His fault! Where had she gotten that notion! Or did she always take her sister's side!

Apologizing was the smart thing to do. So, with Emiko watching intently, Deidara stood in front of Kyoko's closed door, trying to reach for the words to say. All in all, it was better to just wing it.

Should he knock? No, she'd just lock him out. But he had a key; it was his house. But intruding was an invasion of privacy. But he was going to step into her bubble anyway so … Gah!

"Kyoko! I'm sorry!" he said, swinging open the door to her room. She was there, curled up near the headboard of her bed, staring in his general direction, as if she knew he was going to burst in. He looked her over, taking in her red, puffy eyes and nose and mussed up hair; and the soft pajamas she wore only when she needed comfort food; and the blanket wrapped around her as if it would really keep her safe from everything the world threw at her; and the pile of pillows at the foot of the bed, serving as a physical and emotional barrier.

Damn it.

"You'd better be," she mumbled. Silence. Deidara didn't know how to respond to that, if he should even respond at all.

"I'm sorry, too, I guess. I didn't mean to blow up at you." She pushed the hair back from her eyes and gave him a weak smile. "And I bet Emiko heard everything…" The smile dissipated.

"I… I don't know why I got mad. It was pretty stupid of me."

"Yeah. Yeah, it was." The two looked into each others' heart, searching for the truth and digging for the deeper meaning.

"Do you want to go out for ice cream at the mall?" He was hoping this would work. It should work. Ice cream always worked. It was freakin ice cream.

"But it's Saturday. Everyone hangs out there on Saturdays."

"Don't care. We'll bring along Emiko, too." Deidara wanted to show people. He wanted to prove to the world and himself and, more than anyone else, Kyoko that he could care about something. In this case it was here.

"Should I dress all fancily and pretend to be a movie star?" Kyoko had done that once, with a wig and everything. For Deidara. She had protested, but gone along with it at the time. For his sake.

But this time, he shook his head. "Dress like you normally do," he said. "I'll get Emiko changed and we'll wait in the living room."

Without waiting for her reaction, Deidara strolled to the living room, with a little skip in his step. "Hey. Emiko. Go wear that dress that I got you last week."

"Kyo got that for me."

"Whatever. Go put it on." He waited patiently as the girl stuffed the rest of the strawberry Poptart into her mouth and chewed vigorously. "Don't choke, now." Funny. He'd been saying that phrase with another implication all this time. Weird. Wow. He had been a real douche.

As Emiko disappeared into her room, Kyoko stepped out of hers. Her hair hung in thin wet strands around her face and since she was looking like Kate Micucci now, her hair would definitely dry during the drive there. She wore a simple V-neck, loose around boy jeans, those jeans loose around the crotch area but nice and form fitting around the legs. Oh, no makeup either.

And Deidara thought she looked absolutely beautiful. She looked feminine and soft. If he hadn't known her, the Past Deidara would've never given her a second glance. But now, looking at her… But now, he really, **really** saw her. Looked at how her eyes shined when she smiled and when she smiled, it was always natural and real. He saw that she wouldn't waste money on trivial things like the fashionable clothing, but rather, clothes that fit and were comfortable, clothes that she actually liked and would wear more than once.

Deidara saw a spark in Kyoko that he'd never seen in other women.

Then Emiko flew from her room in a simple little dress and wrapped herself around Kyoko's leg. "Sis, you look so pretty! You're glowing!" Ha. Leave it to children to over-simplify things in the best possible way. He took Kyoko's hand tentatively in his – he was never not sure (gasp!) – and the corners of his lips turned upwards slowly.

The three stepped out, looking very much like a happy family (pardon the cliché), ready to take on the world.

* * *

><p><strong>^^ YAY~<strong>


	9. Our Time Now

Mrs. Suzuki didn't come back after two months, so it was decided that Emiko live with Deidara and Kyoko indefinitely. Not that any of them really minded. Mrs. Suzuki was somewhere broke with her gigolo husband and Deidara and Kyoko had fun "playing" parents.

* * *

><p>For the first couple days, it had been really awkward when Satoshi sat next to Kyoko in Psych class. Awkward and creepy and slightly pitiful and guilt-inducing. After a while though, Satoshi moved on. He'd found a girlfriend. "Girlfriend." (Patient. In the Psych ward. At the hospital.)<p>

* * *

><p>No one believed that Deidara had changed until they showed up at the mall that one day. So, they'd come to the conclusion that Karin's a dirty bitch. But we'd already established that.<p>

* * *

><p>Sasori found a lady love. Hidan, too. Funny thing they liked the same girl: it was this delicate little flowery girl, with bright green eyes and striking pink hair. Another funny thing! She's Itachi's love.<p>

* * *

><p>Emiko once called Deidara, "Daddy." That was really weird, considering she still calls Kyoko, "Sis." Deidara convinced Emiko to call her sister "Ma" instead. Strange stuff.<p>

* * *

><p>Oh!<p>

And…

You already saw this coming but …

Deidara and Kyoko became a happy couple. They already had practice living with each other. Kyoko tried to teach Deidara how to cook, but almost everything he made burst into flames (save cereal and Poptarts). Deidara had lots of fun teaching Kyoko how to have fun, in more ways than one. They fought rarely, but when they did, the "apologizing" was amazing.

They did it a lot, too. And when I say it, I mean "**it**."

They were just having a grand old time.


End file.
